In 2000, the Rutgers Center for Children and Childhood Studies launched a community needs assessment designed to identify significant gaps in services and infrastructure for Camden children aged birth to five. The area of early education (childcare services) and professional development opportunities for childcare professionals quickly surfaced as an area where the demands outweighed services, support and resources. In addition, RU-CCCS conducted a professional development survey of the childcare staff within the 62 licensed childcare providers and found that out of the 782 childcare professionals, 406 had only a high school diploma, 134 had a child development associate credential, 59 had an A.S. degree and 160 had a B.A. or above. In nearly two-thirds of the cases, the individual with the B.A. or higher was center director or curriculum coordinator. These numbers clearly indicated that Camden’s children were receiving the largest percentage of direct care from individuals inadequately prepared to provide the necessary learning environment.

	Theresa Caputo (NJPDC Accreditation Project) and Angela Connor Morris (RU-CCCS)

Professional Development Pathways Initiative: Phase I (2001-2002)

Phase I of the Professional Development Pathways Initiative was developed to introduce professional development for childcare staff in conjunction with early literacy development within Camden City. In order to establish these important concepts, RU-CCCS focused on the following key components:

1.) The development of monthly seminars for childcare professionals that promoted the concepts of professional development; early education and a culture of early literacy development;

2.) The implementation of lending libraries for families within 40 of the 62 licensed childcare centers, and

3.) The evaluation of the quality of the 48 participating centers in Phase I using the Infant/Toddler Environmental Ratings Scale (ITERS) and the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS).

	Mary Fullard with CDA candidate

The Professional Development Pathways Initiative: Phase II (2003-2005)

The Professional Development Pathways Initiative: Phase II built upon the success achieved through a set of modest interventions in Phase I. RU-CCCS partnered with the Camden County Division for Children (CCDFC) to insure that shifts in providing professional development services would be adopted and sustained by the training division of CCDFC. The New Jersey Professional Development Center for Early Care and Education (NJPDC) our second major collaborator, assisted in access to scholarships, facilitation of NAEYC accredited centers in Camden city and onsite technical assistance for center directors through the facilitation of a Director’s Academy and the Directors’ Treasure Chest.

To meet the professional development needs of Camden childcare staff and improve upon the quality of care within Camden’s childcare centers, the second phase saw a major effort to:

1.) increase the basic level of proficiency in Camden centers from a high school diploma or GED to the Child Development Associate;

2.) raise the basic level of preparedness for Camden City Childcare directors to the completion of the Director’s Academy Class and

3.) establish Parent Engagement Programs at 48 of the 62 childcare centers in Camden.

	CDA Candidates Recognition Ceremony Click here for more information

Major Program Outcomes

Child Development Associate Cohort I and II (2003-2005)

• 302 Participants representing 48 of Camden childcare centers enrolled;
• 92 Technical Advisement Sessions offered (138 hours total);
• Participants received 80 hours of onsite mentoring;
• 176 participants completed their CDA credential by December 2005;
• The remaining 127 participants will submit for the CDA in 2006.

August 6th, 2004. The first Child Development Associate (CDA) Candidates Recognition Ceremony took place in the Rutgers-Camden Campus Center's Lounge with standing room available only. It was a wonderful, moving evening with many smiling faces celebrating the achievements of the awardees.>>> more

Director’s Academy 2005

• 16 Camden City directors completed the Director’s Academy;
• This cohort was the first to submit a professional development plan for their respective center as a final project of the Director’s Academy.

• 20 sessions were offered to each of the 48 participating Childcare centers;
• 1,440 parents were reached through the Educational Partners program
• 86 were engaged in adult literacy programs through our partner, Literacy Volunteers of America, of which 59 have been retained;
• 41 were engaged in a GED program, of which 27 have been retained;
• 32 of the childcare centers have established parent engagement programs as a direct result of the educational partners program.

Additional Outcomes

• 25 Camden City CDA Infant Toddler track credential recipients will participate in the first Infant/Toddler credential pilot in Camden City (2006)
• The 10 master mentors of the CLTI program will participate in the “Training of the Trainers” program offered jointly through NJPDC and RU-CCCS 9/2005-10/2005;
• Each of the 48 participating Camden city childcare centers have identified one or more individuals to be trained as “junior” level mentors (2006-2007);
• ITERS scores increased an average of 2.8 in participating center classrooms;
• ECERS scores increased an average of 2.3 in participating center classrooms.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

The Professional Development Pathways Initiative: Phase III (2006-2008)

Phase III of the Professional Development Pathways Initiative continues to work in a strategic way to build upon and develop new innovative practices in the delivery of professional development for Camden’s early childhood educators. The third phase also involves an expansion into family based care providers.

The Professional Development Pathways Initiative for Early Educators major programmatic components in development for implementation include:

• Establish Peer Mentors at each childcare center;
• College Readiness and Transitional Systems of Support Program for CDA credentialed staff moving to the A.S. degree;
• Director’s Academy II;
• Integrating ITERS, ECERS and BOUNCE into regular quality assessments for childcare providers, which also supports accreditation;
• The Continuation of Parent Engagement Programs and
• The Implementation of the CDA for Family Based Care Providers.

	Director's Academy: Helena, Linda and Mary

Anticipated Outcomes

Early Childhood Educators will:

• Develop the skills necessary to become transformational leaders and change agents;
• Create a child-based instructional and literacy-rich environment;
• Develop family-school partnerships for high student achievement;
• Obtain higher levels of professional development, credentials and college achievement.

Parents and Families will:

• Increase center and school engagement and civic activity;
• Become advocates for their children’s education;
• Develop the Parenting skills necessary to promote school success;
• Integrate effective literacy practices geared towards improving their children’s long-term school achievement.

The Broader Impact of the Professional Development Pathways Initiative

As the State University of New Jersey, Rutgers mission is to disseminate effective strategies and programs with proven results to a broader audience. Working in close collaboration with its’ partners, RU-CCCS:

• Brought the first Infant/Toddler Credential to New Jersey; pilot programs in Camden, Hudson and Montclair counties (2006-2007);
• Works with the State of New Jersey to integrate the innovative programmatic concepts of the PDPI CDA credential to five other Unified Child Care Agencies;
• Engaged in the planning process to establish a Camden Early Childhood Research Learning Academy that will serve as a model for transitioning children younger than the age of five into successful schools.

	Director's Academy in Session